


Wait

by kiwis



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: ASoIaF, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Angst and Feels, F/M, Game of Thrones AU, Gendrya - Freeform, Gendrya Angst, Heavy Angst, So much angst, asoiaf au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2014-10-05
Packaged: 2018-02-19 12:51:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2388854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwis/pseuds/kiwis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arya invites Gendry to a formal ball, but she doesn't think he will actually want to come.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wait

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to make this a long as possible, but I'm afraid that it might have made the story worse.   
> There may or may not be more chapters to this (originally intended as a one shot)  
> cheers

Gendry walked through the gardens of the museum as fast as he could, but Arya still caught up with him, her heels clicking on the sidewalk.

A hand landed on his shoulder. Gendry had to push away the feeling of pleasure in his chest as she touched him along with the memory of when they last touched. 

When he turned around Arya's hand fell to her side. 

"Gendry, what are you doing?"

" _You_ invited me, remember?" Gendry asked, taking his eyes off of his shoes to look at her. 

"Then why did you leave?" Her tone was on the line dangerously between serious and sarcastic.

Normally he would have elbowed her, or snapped something back, but he wasn't in the mood for witty banter. For once, he wanted to have a serious conversation with his best friend. 

"I saw you out there dancing, with them, with _him_." He couldn't help the open disgust that seeped though his voice. From the moment he walked into the charity ball he was appalled.  "You are just like them Arya, doing nothing but dressing up in thousand dollar clothes and twirling around an old dusty ballroom all in the name of charity." He practically spat the words at her, knowing that she would hate him for saying it, but he couldn't stop himself.

Her face was hard, eyebrows furrowed and her mouth set in a hard line. 

"I think you are reading too much into this Gen, stop acting so stupid."

She looked away for a moment, to conceal an eyeroll?

Gendry gazed at her, really looked at her. She looked beautiful. I mean, Gendry thought she always looked beautiful, especially lately, but tonight Arya looked dazzling, it was hard for Gendry to take his eyes off of her. 

She was still wearing black, her favorite color, 'like her soul' she used to joke with him whenever he brought up the fact that she wore black pretty much constantly. But the outfit she wore now was stripped of her signature grunge style. 

Her strapless dress was a sweetheart neckline and a delicate pendant hung from her neck, the chain resting on her collarbone. The rough combat boots were replaced by simple black heels, that made her stand taller. Even with an extra three inches, Gendry was still four inches taller.

"You look beautiful." Gendry let it slip out in a whisper, before he could stop himself. 

She smiled at him, it was a pained smile, like the ones she usually gave her mother or Sansa, but not Gendry, no, _never_ Gendry. 

And yet, here it was. 

For the first time ever, Arya Stark seemed unreachable, untouchable. 

He looked down at his own appearance, his shirt was a size too big and his shoes a size too small. Thankfully his foster mother was able to fit the pants and jacket he had borrowed, but it was nothing in comparison to the men in tailored fit suits that he had seen in the ballroom. 

"Arya, why did you invite me tonight?" He asked, pulling his necktie loose so he didn't feel like he was choking. 

"I-I don't know."

Gendry remained silent. 

"I didn't think you would actually come." She looked him square in the eye, but Gendry could only hold her gaze for a second. Her words were like a slap in the face, he moved to leave. 

"Then I'm gone."

"Wait, Gen, wait...you don't understand the pressure I'm under, from my entire family. I have responsibilities, I-"

"No, Arya,  _you_ don't understand." Gendry was furious now, was this how she really felt? That he was a nothing? That all the times she actually called him stupid she actually meant it?

That he couldn't be a part of her world because of their differences? That he couldn't even be her friend?

These were thoughts that Gendry had had before, when Arya had to miss on plans because she was on a weekend sailing trip to New Hampshire, or when she talked about the high end universities she was applying to.

He never let these thoughts bother him before, she had always reassure him that they would be friends for a long time. But now the thoughts were like poison working his way through his mind and slowly suffocating his brain.  

From the beginning their friendship was easy, it always felt right. Now, Gendry looked at this girl before him like she was a stranger. 

"Poor little rich girl, always getting what she wants," Gendry couldn't stop himself, "but wait, oh no! She not only had two parents who believe in her but want her to do important things with her life, to follow her dreams, but she has an array of siblings who also love and believe in her! I'm not buying this act Arya, you have no idea what real pain is like." Arya stepped back like Gendry had physically pushed her. "You think you know everything about me? You don't. You have had a privileged life Arya, you only see what you want to see, only donate to charities you want to donate to. Only come to Flea Bottom when it's cool for you to be there, when it gives you street cred."

Arya's hands were balled into fists now, but she didn't move away, she just stared at him with those grey stormy eyes he had learned to read over the years. 

"That's all I am to you aren't I? A 'bad boy' that you can run and tell your little friends that I'm your special project, that you can fix me, while I'm still not good enough for you to take to a dumb charity ball?"

"Stop it! Gendry do you hear yourself right now? I didn't think you would want to come but I invited you to be polite..."

Gendry actually laughed out loud at her statement. 

"You know, I expected something like this of Sansa, but this is low for you Arya."

Gendry was growing eerily calm, but one look at Arya told him that her mood had escalated beyond furious.

"How dare you. You don't get to make all of those those assumptions about my life Gendry! You don't know anything about my parents or my siblings, my family has it's fair share of issues, sometimes I think you got the lucky end of the deal."

Gendry could tell as soon as she said those words she regretted them. 

"I'm sorry Gen, I know-"

"No, that's just it Arya, you don't know. You'll _never_ know. You don't know what it's like to question your entire existence. You've always been Arya Stark, daughter of Ned and Catelyn Stark. You don't know what it's like to not have enough. Enough money, enough clothes, enough heat. You don't know what it's like to wonder why the people that brought you into this world, the people who were supposed to love you unconditionally, simply...didn't."

"Gendry..." Her voice and face had grown softer as she said his name. She took a step forward towards him and laid a soft hand on his cheek, but it was Gendry's turn to step back now. He angrily rubbed hot tears away from his eyes. 

"You know what Arya? No. Screw you. You don't get to feel sad for me, and you sure as hell don't get to pity me!"

Then, Gendry noticed it, the irreparable rift between them that they had both helped create just now. Their relationship, for the worst, would never be the same.

"Gendry please, don't be-"

"Stupid?" He cut her off and looked her right in the eye, there was pain forming in his chest now. Gendry felt like he was gasping for air. "Have a nice life, Arya, I hope it's filled with tons of charity balls."

Then he did tear himself away from her, practically running across the gardens, trampling grass and flowers in his wake.

When he finally looked back, she was gone. 

_There was a time when I stood in line_   
_for love, for love, for love._   
_But I let you go oh I let you go._

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Game of Thrones. All rights and characters belong to GRRM and HBO.


End file.
